AVAILABLE WORKS (6)

BIOGRAPHY ANTONIO SAURA

Antonio Saura
1930 (Huesca) - 1998 (Cuenca)

He began painting and writing in 1947 in Madrid while suffering from tuberculosis, having already been confined to his bed for five years. He claims Hans Arp and Yves Tanguy as his artistic influences, although thanks to a highly personal style, his work stands on its own. Saura created numerous drawings and paintings with a dreamlike surrealist character that most often represented imaginary landscapes, employing a flat smooth treatment that offers a rich palette of colors. First stay in Paris in 1952, second stay in Paris in 1954 and 1955 during which he met Benjamin Péret and associated with the Surrealists, although he soon parted with the group. Joining instead in the company of his friend the painter Simon Hantaï. Using the technique of scraping, he adopted a gestural style and created an abstract type of painting, still very colorful and boasting an organic, aleatory design. He began painting by occupying the space of the canvas in several very distinct ways, creating formal structures that bear his distinctive stamp and which he will continue to develop endlessly. The first appearances in his work of forms that will soon become archetypes of the female body or the human figure occur in the mid-1950s. Starting in 1956 Saura tackles the register of what will prove to be his greatest works: women, nudes, self-portraits, shrouds and crucifixions, which he paints on both canvas and paper. In 1957 in Madrid he founds the El Pasogroup and serves as its director until it breaks up in 1960 during that period he met Michel Tapié. During the 1950s he has his first solo exhibition at the Rodolphe Stadler Gallery in Paris, where he will regularly show throughout his life. Stadler introduced him to Otto van de Loo in Munich and Pierre Matisse in New York City, both of whom exhibited his work and represented him, and eventually his paintings were collected by major museums. Limiting his palette to blacks, greys and browns, Saura asserted a personal style that was independent of the movements and trends of his generation. His work followed in the tradition of Velasquez and Goya. Starting in 1959 he began creating a prolific body of works in print, illustrating numerous books like Cervantes’s Don Quijote, Orwell’s 1984, Nöstlinger’s adaptation of Pinocchio, Kafka’s Tagebücher, Quevedo’s Three Visions, and many others.

HOW TO BUY

Brita Prinz offers the possibility to buy graphic art in a simple, quick and secure way.

When you click on the image you are interested in, all the information about the work will appear. The icon leads you to an email containing the work’s title of your interest.

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our site. Cookies are files stored in your browser and are used by most websites to help personalise your web experience.
By continuing to use our website without changing the settings, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. More Information